Construction of railway ties or sleepers



(No Model.)

0. D. KUBACH.

GGNSTRUUTION 0F RAILWAY TIES 0R SLEEPERS.

Patented Jan. 20

CHARLES D. KUBACII, OF

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY TIES OR SLEEPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,063, dated January 20, 1891.

Application filed September 11, 1890- Serial No. 364,682. (No model.)

To ail whom 66 may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. KUBACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Railway Ties or Sleepers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain novel improvements in the construction of cross-ties or sleepers for railways, the purpose thereof being to provide a sleeper formed or molded from cement, concrete, artificial stone, or asphalt, or from a mixture of two or more of said materials, or from any suitable plastic material which when hardened possesses the requisite strength.

It is my purpose, also, to provide a railwaysleeper formed in two parts, which are mounted centrally to form a complete tie,

which is strengthened in the direction of longitudinal strain by iron rods or bars placed in the mold before the plastic material is in- 'trodn'ced, whereby said rods or bars are firmly embedded in said material.

It is my purpose, also, to provide means whereby the sleeper may be strengthened to resist crushing strains, and may be less liable to break from sudden jars or concussions.

It is my further purpose to protect the sides and corners of the ties or sleepers by an iron band which encircles said ties.

To these ends my invention consists in the several novel features of construction and new combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which follow this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand a-nd use my said invention, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being had to the drawings which accompany this application, and wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sleeper or tie embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the sleeper. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section of the sleeper. Fig. dis a detail view of the strengthening bars or rods shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the connectingpin. Fig. 6 is a detail View of the band-iron for protecting the sides and edges of the ties.

In the said drawings, the reference-1111 m eral l designates the tie or sleeper, which is formed of any suitable plastic material in two parts, the division-line being substantially central. The sleeper is formed of cement and sand,

from furnace-slag, or from any plastic non- I shape, dividing them at a central point, which is provided with a resilient material 3, composed of wood veneer or any other similar and suitable material. Oastwithin the body of the material are connecting-pins hand hooked over the ends of these pins are connectinglinks 5and 6. In the expanded end of the sleeper is inserted a block 7, of resilient material, preferably composed of wood veneer, having the grain arranged at diiferent angles. The rails 8 rest upon these blocks, andare fastened in place by means of plates 9, having portions 10, which rest upon the foot of the rail. Through these parts pass bolts 12, having conical ends inserted in seats in the sleeper and projecting above the same, as

shown in Fig. 1,to pass up through theplates 9 and receive nuts 13, by which the rail is held in place. To strengthen the half-tie, bars or rods 14 may be cast or molded therein, having their ends hooked over the pins 4.

In the manufacture of this tie I form a mold the internal shape whereof substantially corresponds to the external shape of one-half of the tie. lhis mold is provided with slots at the middle end to permit the connecting pin to be placed in the mold with the knobs projecting through the sides of the mold. At the base end of the tie is placed a removable block or core, the exact shape of the recess to be formed in the tie. It is secured in place by dowel-pins, and alongside the block is placed cores having the size and shape of the taper bolts which secure the rail. The mold is then coated inside with a preparation to prevent adhesion, and the rods or bars, bent to the required shape, are

placed in the mold, the connectingpin is placed in the bottom of the slots, the hooked ends of the rods are secured to the connecting- "pins by wire, the bolt-cores are placed in their rail-bases of the sleepers can be'made as broad as may be required, and being in two parts they are easily handled. By this construction, also, a broad base of support for the rail may be given with a less number of ties for the same space, the supporting ends of the sleepers being so far widened as compared with the body portions, and being expanded to any required width.

To avoid the danger of repeated chipping and cracking of the exposed edge of the sleeper under and in the vicinity of the rail, I apply a strengthening and protecting plate 15, which overlies the edge or angle of the expanded end of the sleeper, its ends 16 being hooked and buried in the plastic material of which the sleeper is composed, as shown in Fig. 1.

What I claim is- 1. A railway-sleeper cast in two substantially equal parts meeting in the central line of the track and connected by link-plates hooking over the projecting ends of pins cast in the inner ends of the divided parts of the sleeper, substantially as described.

2. A railway-sleeper formed of plastic ma terial cast or molded in two substantially equal parts, each having a transverse pin cast in or near its inner end and provided with tie-rods buried in the plastic material and hooking at one end over said transverse pins, and link-plates hooked over the projecting headed ends of said transverse pins,subst-antially as described.

3. A railway-sleeper composed of plastic material, suitably molded and formed in two parts, united centrally, or substantially so, each part having abroadened cnd'contaimng a resilient base or support for the rail, whereby an increased or extended base of support is provided with a less number of sleepers, substantially as 'described.

4. A railway-sleeper formed of cement or other plastic material in two substantially equal portions, each having a transverse pin cast therein andbeing provided with tie-rods cast longitudinally in each half part and having their ends hooking over said transverse pins, and link-plates hooking over the projecting headed ends of the transverse pins, each molded half part of the sleeper being provided with a resilient'base or support-for the rail, substantially as described.

5. A railway sleeper or tie composed of two substantially similar parts, each molded of plastic material and united by suitable connections, the supporting end of each sleeper having a resilient base of support inserted therein and extended in a direction transverse to the tie, and being provided also with strengthening-bars cast in the material forming the sleeper, substantially as described.

6. In a railway-sleeper formed of plastic material and having inserted in the ends resilient material to form a support for the rails,

the combination, with bolts having flaring heads engaging with corresponding recesses in the sleeper, of clamping-plates engaging silient material being interposed between the,

abutting ends of said parts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig nature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES D. KUBACH.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES A. RUTHERFORD, PERCY B. HILLs. 

